Framing of the International Criminal Court by Kenyan Media: A Content Analysis of Two Dailies
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Date
2014-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Daystar University, School of Communication
Abstract
This study sought to explore the framing of the International Criminal Court by Kenyan media. It was guided by the following objectives; To determine the types of frames used to cover the ICC, to determine the trends in the framing of news on the ICC, to determine the frequency of news items on the ICC and to find out if there were differences in the framing of the ICC by the two Kenyan dailies. Descriptive research design was used for this study and the target population all news stories and letters to the editor that concerned the ICC in the Daily Nation and The Star newspapers between 2009 and 2013. Purposive sampling technique was used in the selection of newspapers from nine months in which there was ICC activity regarding the situation in Kenya. Content analysis was used in data collection and the data was analyzed using MS Excel. The findings the study showed that the court was framed as a political tool where the ‘who’ in the article were other political players other than those before the court. A majority of the articles covering the political frame were on political activity as the country started gearing towards an election initially scheduled for August 2012 as well as the results of the elections which were eventually held in March 2013.This frame is captured the most in May 2013 in the Daily Nation and March 2011 in The Star. This study concluded that the Kenyan dailies used two major frames while reporting on the ICC and the court was dominantly framed as an instrument of justice and to a lesser extent as a political tool. The justice frame was advanced the most in December 2010 and March 2011. The study recommended that the media outlets should explore the court beyond the two frames considered so as to give a more rounded view of the court and The Star newspaper should accord its readers a platform to give feedback on this story.
Description
Master of Arts in Communication
Keywords
International Criminal Court, Kenyan Media
Citation
Nguyo, M. N., (2014). Framing of the International Criminal Court by Kenyan Media: A Content Analysis of Two Dailies. Daystar University, School of Communication, Nairobi.